Adam Beattie (1833–1893) was an American politician who served in the

Michigan Senate The Michigan Senate is the upper house of the Michigan Legislature. Along with the Michigan House of Representatives, it composes the state legislature, which has powers, roles and duties defined by Article IV of the Michigan Constitution, ado ...

as a Republican, representing

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. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

he was the Captain of the New York 26th Independent Battery,

Light Artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and led to heavy, ...

Barnes’

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Battery.

Biography

Beattie was born in

Seneca, New York Seneca is a town in Ontario County, New York, United States. The population was 2,658 at the 2020 census. The town is named after a group of local natives. The Town of Seneca is on the southern border of the county and is southwest of the ...

, on November 26, 1833, to David Beattie and Dorothy Turnbull. He was the third out of four boys in the family. His father was a farmer who owned land in Seneca. On November 28, 1862, Beattie was mustered at the age of 29 into the New York 26th Independent Battery (Light Artillery) as a 2nd

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

. His position was quartermaster, in charge of acquiring goods for the unit, from horses to food. The 26th New York battery took part in the Red River Campaign. He was promoted to Vice First Lieutenant, then Captain of the Battery, by George W. Fox on March 29, 1863. He was honorably

discharged Discharge may refer to: * The act of firing a gun * Termination of employment, the end of an employee's duration with an employer * Military discharge, the release of a member of the armed forces from service Flow * Discharge (hydrology), the a ...

on September 12, 1865, and mustered out at

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

. Beattie entered politics and became a Michigan state senator in the 17th district from 1873 to 1874. He declined the renomination after one term.

Personal life

Beattie was married three times, the first to Isabella McFortine. This union bore a son, Willard Grant Beattie, in 1863. During the time Beattie was at war, Isabella died or became incapacitated and Willard went to live with Adam's brother William. Beattie moved from Seneca, to

Ovid, Michigan Ovid is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Nearly all of the city is located within Clinton County with only a very small portion extending east into Shiawassee County. The population was 1,481 at the 2020 census. The city is located alon ...

, in 1865 as an early pioneer in that community. His son Willard was left in New York in the care of his brother. Beattie married a second time to Katherine A. Hann, and had a second son, Mark Brewer Beattie, who was born in 1877 in Ovid. Katherine Hann died two years later in 1879. Beattie married a third time to Mary E. Hann, Katherine Hann's sister, who moved into the household to take care of Mark when he was two years old. In Ovid, Beattie used his past knowledge as a farmer and quartermaster to become a grocer. He also ran for school board, and later became Ovid's

postmaster A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...

. Adam Beattie died at age 59 on June 26, 1893. Adam Beattie, Mary E. Hann, and Katherine A. Hann are all buried in Ovid, Michigan's Maple Grove Cemetery. These early pioneers some of the first settlers to the area to die, and their tombstones are near the front entrance of Maple Grove Cemetery. Adam Beattie shares a large granite monument with his second wife Kate, and third wife Mary E. Hann is buried nearby in an unmarked grave.

References and sources

*Seneca New York Census Records - 1850, 1855, 1860, 1865, 1870 *Ovid Michigan Census Records - 1870 *National Archive Letters from the NY 26th Light Artilliery *Clinton County Michigan Marriage Records *www.michiganmarkers.com = Village of Ovid / First Congregational Church *Ovid Michigan On Site Historical Marker *Phisterer's New York in the War of the Rebellion 1861-1865 / pages 1616-1617 {{DEFAULTSORT:Beattie, Adam People of New York (state) in the American Civil War 1833 births 1893 deaths People from Seneca, New York People from Ovid, Michigan Michigan postmasters Michigan state senators American grocers 19th-century members of the Michigan Legislature